Never Doubt
by Saori Miyuki
Summary: An interesting night for two of the troopers.


Author note: first time writer, not first fic I wrote but the second one up. Anyway, animation's not mine, charaters' not mine; I'm poor, so don't sue me… … anything I forgot to mention?? Ahh… the story!! It's **MINE**!!

General Outline of the story: 

Based on Mink's story, **'Beginnings'**. Seiji had known Ryo when he went to boarding school and he helped Ryo out in a fight. He taught him martial art and later Ryo was sent away from the orphanage because someone found out Ryo had run away from the orphanage everyday to train with Seiji. Seiji saw him off and they met again in Shinjuku during the first battle against Arago. The story started when Arago had been defeated at last, and the OVA never happened. 

The guys had been living in Natsuti's place for a year or two and they were all about 16 to 17. Ryo had acted very mature during the battles and he and Seiji never had anytime to have a little reunion and small talk after their separation. Seiji felt insecure because Ryo had treated the other without discrimination. He feared Ryo had no longer held the same special friendship for him as he had reserved only for him. He went to Ryo one night and accidentally woke Ryo. They had a heartfelt _talk _to clear the air between them and… 

Well, I do plan to write more for this plot, though it can be a stand alone (as it is now). But I guess unless I got some nice constructive comments and reviews, I probably wouldn't further the plot until I'm in the mood to write or something. Got the cue? I think that's obvious enough. Okie dokie, onto the story……

P.S. the characters are probably OOC, but what the heck… my story, my decision! Ohohohohohohoho……… ^_^v

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NEVER DOUBT

Midnight ——

A lone silhouette stood before the bedroom door of the fearless leader. He hesitated, but he finally grabbed the door knot and turned, opening the door quietly. It was dark inside. A raven hair young man was sleeping soundly in the bed. He didn't stir as the intruder stepped gingerly into the room. Eyes adjusted, the intruder watched him slept with mixed emotion. 

Never had he thought the leader could look so young again when he slept. There was that childlike innocence he had sorely missed when they finally met again. He had honestly believed that he would never see that look on his youthful face ever again. They had been through too much. The never-ending battles had made them all grow up way too fast and it had been especially hard on him. He was burdened with the role of leadership and the fate of the world. So many things had crashed down on him, squeezing him and weighted him down. Even though he had seemingly managed well enough, he knew he was bone-weary. He had to be. He wasn't as carefree as he was when they first met. He never laughed out loud any more and he was so quiet and timid sometime that it was hard to believe he was the one and only Ryo he had ever known.

Ever since they met each other again in Shinjuku, they had been fighting for their lives nearly everyday. So many things were happening so fast that they had barely enough time to breathe, let alone to talk about anything non-Arago or Youjakai related. Of course there were times, when peace would grace their days for a short while at least. But he couldn't bring himself to talk to him, to ask about his life after he went to Tokyo, days before they met again. He had looked so tired, so exhausted that he feared he might trigger some unwanted feelings or memories in Ryo and he would lose him for good. And there was the matter of others too. Not that he didn't appreciate their presence, but it felt so awkward to let them knew that the two of them had been the best of friends well before the War.

Sometimes he wondered, what would become of them, were they not the Samurai Troopers? Would he be his best friend still when they met again under different circumstances? Or would they have drifted apart from each other?

__

~ I wonder…~ He let out a soft sigh. So many words left unsaid. How he wished for the good old days when they had been kids that were innocence of the way of war. They talked, they laughed and they trained together. Gone was the Ryo he had loved so dearly as a brother, or something more than he would ever allowed himself to think about. How he wished…

He watched the raven youth slept for a while longer and he forced himself to get out of there and had some rest himself. He turned on his heels and headed out. But then he froze like a statue as a murmur caught his ear.

'Seiji?' the soft velvet voice murmured. The blond swordsman couldn't breathe. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut, leaving him breathless. That voice, the way it uttered his name, it was one and the same of the lost boy who had been beaten to a pulp, locked in the Box and waiting to be shipped to Tokyo. Even after so many years, his heart wrenched and hurt like hell when he heard that tone of voice.

'Seiji??' A little louder now, lacing with puzzlement and worries. He turned ever so slowly, like a deer got caught by the headlight, and faced the dark hair young man. His raven hair was in disarray and he was rubbing his eyes like a kitty would wash its face. Gone was the face of confidence of a leader and the fake cheerful facet that he had used to try to placate their worries. There, in the bed, sat the brave, unassuming orphan who tried to protect a boy child from three bullies, the best friend he had been waiting and feverishly wishing to meet again. His sight blurred. He continued to stare at the boy, afraid that he would disappear if he did so much as blinking.

Ryo looked at Seiji with worries. Though the room was dark, he could see pretty well that something was wrong with Seiji. His pale elfin feature did nothing to hide the strange look that sported on it. Not to mention the light color of his clothing had somehow reflected whatever light in the room and made the bearer of Kourin shone in the dark, though it made the image a bit ghostly.

'Seiji, are you alright?' He cocked his head to one side in puzzlement when Seiji did nothing but staring at him, unblinking. He was getting scared. Seiji has never acted like this. Sure, he had stared at him thoughtfully before, but normally the moment he realized Ryo was looking at him, he would turn away.

Ryo had had enough and decided to check on the blond. He tugged at the bed sheet and tried to get off of the bed. However, he was too drowsy to notice how tangled the sheet had become during his sleep and that he hadn't been able to free his legs from the mess. He would have fallen on his face in a heap had Seiji not caught him in time before he hit the floor. He slid his arms around his neck and let the swordsman hauled him back into his bed.

Seiji didn't know how long he had been staring at the boy. He didn't even know he had moved until he had caught Ryo in his arms, stopping him from crashing to the floor and probably woke everybody up. When Ryo slipped his arms around his neck, he gathered his courage and looked into the tiger-blue eyes. He suddenly realized there was no need to ponder about any what-if about their friendship. In the unguarded eyes of tiger-blue, he finally saw the love and friendship the lone orphan had reserved for him only. It had been given freely to him once, and he could see that now it had never stopped ever since. He didn't realize he was crying until a warm callused finger gently wiped away his tears. As if reading his mind, Ryo hugged him and petted his hair to comfort him like a mother would to her child.

'Seiji, I told you I'll see you again and we'll never be alone again.' Ryo paused to lay a kiss on the golden hair. He then rested his cheek against the top of Seiji's head. 'I'll never break my words to you no matter what happened. Never doubt that.' Seiji couldn't say anything. He was so happy and relieved to find the love and companionship he had longer for all his life that his ability of speech was robbed by choked sobs. He nodded feebly against the dark warrior's chest; never minded that he had already wetted half of the front of the wrinkled T-shirt. Ryo continued to pet him soothingly, threading his fingers through the soft golden strands and let his friend to cry himself out.

Seiji tightened his arms around Ryo when he felt him trying to pull away. He didn't want to let go yet. His insecurity about the newly found companionship he had craved so long hadn't been fully cleansed away by his tears, though the larger part of it was gone. Ryo chuckled at this. Never had he thought of Seiji as one to cling on anything, or anyone for the matter, this desperate like a child clinging to his favorite pillow/teddy as if someone was about to snatch it away. He gently cupped the glittering pale face in his hands and looked into the bright amethyst eyes. 'Seiji, you gonna hurt all over tomorrow if you keep sitting like this. Come on up. I think you should get a bit more comfortable before you go on and do whatever, ne?' He couldn't help but kiss Seiji on the nose in mischief when his face turned bright red at his words. He blushed even redder after that playful kiss Ryo gave him.

Ryo grinned as Seiji ducked his head and turned to kick off his socks. He pushed himself up slightly and settled himself against the headboard comfortably. Seiji crawled into his lap and sprawled over him. His pale hands snaked around Ryo's waist and secured themselves at his lower back. Ryo dropped his hands into Seiji's hair as soon as he heard Seiji sighed contently and settled snugly against him. He playfully tugged at the silky gold. When the owner did nothing but rubbed his face like Byakuen butting him for a good petting, he let his fingers wandered at will. He batted at the hair impishly, ruffled them, braided them, even scratched lightly on the scalp like he normally did to his tiger. All this doing not only earned him no retributions or growls of anger, a constant contented purring could be heard from the muffled face. He couldn't help but giggled at the blond's behavior. He had been messing with his precious hair and he didn't even got yelled for this. Not one to miss a chance of a lifetime, he played with the golden strands until he could no longer open his eyes and fell asleep.

Seiji nearly jumped out of the bed when he felt Ryo jerked under him. He would have fallen out of it anyway if not for Ryo's quick reflex to grab his shirt and yanked him back. He lay on the bed silently, trying to calm his thundering heart. A hand settled in his hair shortly after reminded him of his whereabouts. He looked up and found his blue-eyed friend smiling apologetically at him and rubbing his elbow gingerly, wincing a little. He sat up and Ryo pulled his hand away from his hair.

'What happened?' Voice a bit hoarse from the crying.

'I banged my elbow against the nightstand after I fell asleep. Sorry to wake you up like that.' Ryo's face reddened in embarrassment. He winced when he pressed a bit too hard on the lump.

'Here, let me.' Seiji tugged at his wrist with one hand and rested the other lightly against the injured elbow. A soft green light pulsed once in the dark room and Ryo flexed his elbow with no problem.

'Arigatoo, Seiji.' He smiled gratefully at the blond. Though it was nothing more than a bruise, it would hurt a whole lot more in the morning without the healing.

'It's nothing.' Having said that, Seiji got off of the bed and picked up his socks. He had bothered and disturbed Ryo's much needed sleep long enough. He looked at the dark hair youth and bowed deeply, almost grinned when he saw Ryo busily picking up his jaw from his bowing. 

'Thank you for everything, Ryo. I'm sorry for doubting you before and never saw what you have been offering me for so long...' He smiled softly when Ryo shrugged that off, showing that it was no big deal. He then turned slightly to the door and bowed a bit, signaling his departure. 'I will be going now. I have troubled you long enough for the night and you looked like you could use a good night sleep. Oyasumi nazai.' He moved to the door and turned the knot, opening it.

'W…Wait, Seiji.' Ryo stammered as he saw him leaving. Seiji stopped and turned to face him, waiting for him to continue. Watching the pale feature, Ryo swallowed hard and forced the words out. 'Um… err… Y… you're no bother, Seiji… and… you know… Byakuen was gone for some time now… and… and…it… it was kinda lonely… um… to sleep by myself… and… gulp and… I was… err… thinking… sweat-dropped……Aw hell, Seiji, just forget it. I'm just being stupid!! Don't mind me. Oyasumi Seiji…' Ryo flopped down against the mattress, pulled up the bed sheet and used it to hide his burning face. Not that Seiji would have missed that.

'Ryo, out with it…' Ryo pulled down the bed sheet slightly as he felt the mattress depressed. All he met up with was a pair of smirking amethyst eyes. Before he could cover his flushing face with the bed sheet again, the blond had, somehow, slipped his arms right next to his neck and effectively stopped him from doing so. He couldn't help but pressed himself into the mattress further as he saw the smoky amethyst eyes sparked with mischief. 

'Umm… Out with what, Seiji?' Ryo winced as his voice had gone an octave higher. Seiji tried hard to suppress the twitching of his lips. Ryo looked so cute when he squirmed like that. It was even more rewarding to see him flushing like a kid. There and then, Seiji decided to make the most out of the situation. 

'Oh, I don't know, but I thought I heard you said, and I quote: "…it was kinda lonely to sleep by myself and I was thinking…"' Seiji paused and looked at Ryo meaningfully, waiting for his answer. Ryo's face became so red that Seiji started to wonder if he should just drop the tease and let him get away with it. 

Just when he was about to laugh the whole thing off as a joke, a timid velvet voice squeaked out. 'I…I was thinking… if you mind… staying for… the… night?? I… I mean… just for tonight… I… I mea…'

'Sure.' With that said, Seiji sat up and nearly fell off the bed laughing at Ryo's incredulous face. Ryo grabbed his wrist before he could go rolling on the floor and looked at him hopefully like a kid who was about to have his wish granted. 'Do you mean it?'

'Yea…' Seiji wiped of the tear of laughter, and looked into the hopeful tiger-blue. 'How could I deny my great leader anything?' 

'YATTA!!' Ryo was so happy and excited that he was jumping and rolling around the bed like a little kid. However, given how messy his bed was, he soon got himself all tangled up and crashed in a heap on the bed. Seiji couldn't help laughing at that. Ryo looked so ridiculous with the bed sheets all over him!! 

After ten minutes of whining, wailing and pouting for help, Seiji finally gave in and tried to get him out of the cocoon. But, well… 'Ryo, tell me again how you got yourself into this mess??' Seiji asked in exasperation. He smacked his forehead against the cocoon in defeat when the only reply he got from the youth was some innocent mewing, cute snowy cat-ears and impossibly adorable big blue eyes. It seemed to him that no matter what he did, Ryo would somehow get tied up somewhere else once he freed a part of him!! 

'I give up…' Seiji buried his face in the cocoon and wrapped his arms around the tied up torso. A hand, somehow, found its way out, pawed gently at his tousled hair. He looked up, and found those adorable tiger-blue looking at him pleadingly. He sighed, and pushed himself up wearily, straddling the bound figure. 'All right, one last try. And if I fail this time, you're going to stay like this till the morning and let the guys have a go at it. Geez, you are worse than the real cats and their cradles, you know that?? And STOP TWITCHING!! You're going to strangle yourself!' 

After another long moment of futile 'struggle', even Ryo gave up hopes to be free of the sheets. He was so knotted up with the sheets that he was lucky that he hadn't throttled himself already! Seiji, exhausted beyond belief, tried to roll away from the ridiculously tied-up Ryo. He had never thought such a simple midnight visit could end up this 'interesting', not to mention how much fun he had had with this 'human-size cat-cradle'! 

But enough is enough, dawn was barely two hours away and they needed some rest. He bent down to pick up his socks when a timid hand came up to clutch at his pants. He turned to find glassy blue eyes trying to stay focus, 'Seiji… don't go?'

'I'll come back, silly. Just need to get my pajamas.' Seiji ruffled the raven silk fondly. Ryo sighed contentedly before clutching to the hand in his hair. 'Yawn… Shin just did my laundry and… yawn… I've got some spare T's… …and shorts that fits… zzz… …'s in the draw… …zzz… …get in bed… …floor's freezing…'

'Wakatteru, neko-chan. Now, sleep.' He gently tugged some stranded hair behind Ryo's ear and watched him slept. A yawn that split his face reminded Seiji just exactly how tired he was and he started hunting for the said clothing. Before long, two figures, cuddling cozily against each other, were oblivious to the world around them. 


End file.
